Bullitt Memories | John Marshall Harlan's Civil War Service at Lebanon Junction

3:26 PM,
Oct. 9, 2012

Charles Hartley is a Bullitt County author and historian.

Written by

Charles Hartley

John Marshall Harlan, a Kentucky native best remembered for his service on the United States Supreme Court, was twice instrumental in the defense of Lebanon Junction during the early part of the Civil War.

The first instance took place in September 1861. Gen. William T. Sherman had arrived in Louisville on the 16th, just in time to hear a report that the railroad bridge at Lebanon Junction had been burned. It was also believed that Confederate Gen. Simon B. Buckner was leading a force that intended to march on Louisville.

James Guthrie, then president of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, ...